Stroman rips the Blue Jays on Twitter after losing his arbitration case

The process is necessary evil for Major League Baseball players, but Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman was none too happy about what took place during his arbitration hearing on Monday in Phoenix.

Stroman filed to earn a $6.9 million salary for the 2018 season while the Blue Jays countered at $6.5 million. A difference of $400,000 may not seem like much, but after the arbiter sided with the Blue Jays, Stroman then went to Twitter and lashed out at his team in this since-deleted tweet.

His message spread like wildfire across social media and has since been removed from his Twitter account, likely after receiving a tidal wave of responses. Perhaps realizing the error of his ways, Stroman joked about it a few hours later.

Despite deleting the tweet and joking about it afterwards, the damage has been done. And now Ross Atkins’ phone is likely ringing off the hook from rival general managers inquiring about the availability of the Blue Jays unhappy starting pitcher.

Although the arbitration process can be adversarial between players and teams, you very rarely hear about what transpires in the court itself. Both sides plead their cases in an attempt to prove or disprove why they should earn or pay that specific dollar figure.

However, Stroman unwisely chose to air his dirty laundry on social media and created a story where there shouldn’t have been. Ripping your team on a public forum is not the proper way to go about it.

Stroman also mentioned in the offending tweet, “I’m thick-skinned”. Isn’t declaring that to the world you’re thick-skinned the exact opposite of being thick-skinned? Losing your arbitration case and not taking to Twitter to complain about your organization … that is the proper definition of thick-skinned.

Whether he’s trying to do this or not, Stroman is unnecessarily driving a wedge between himself and the Blue Jays. Over the past few months, he’s made a few barbs here and there about his club.

This one from December shortly after the Blue Jays non-tendered his close friend, Ryan Goins: